The present method relates, in, general, to methods and apparatus for adapting vehicle control systems to a driver's specific driving style.
Vehicles are provided with a number of control systems, which can be varied, based on road and weather conditions, and more particularly, to a driver's particular preferences. Personalizable vehicle controls, such as stability control, and acceleration and brake assist controls, forward crash warning timing, etc., can be controlled by setting options under general headings such as sport, economy, touring, etc. Such modes are usually automatically selected by the driver depending upon the driver's preference, the road conditions that the driver is or expects to be traveling on, i.e., dry, wet, icy, etc., and the type of road, namely, urban streets, rural roads and limited access highways.
However, such general modes of operation are set by the vehicle manufacture in for the different categories of sporting, economy, touring, etc., and average driver skills and not to the specific driving characteristics of a particular driver in a particular vehicle.
Every driver has a different driving characteristic or style, which can vary depending upon the roadway features. A particular driver can, for example, have a different skill level or score for his or her driving characteristics on a limited access, high speed highway, two or multi-lane rural roads, and two or multiple lane urban streets. Such roadway features can also include, for each general type of roadway, the type of roadway segment on which the vehicle is traveling, such as straight, curved, exit or entrance ramp, congested urban traffic, traffic lights, perpendicular intersection turns, etc.
A driver may have a high level of skill in certain of these roadway features, but may have a lower skilled level in other roadway features. Each driver also varies in his or her driving characteristics with respect to acceleration from a stop; such as when a traffic light turns green or when a driver first applies the brakes to bring the vehicle to a stop in congested traffic or at a traffic light, how much distance or headway the driver leaves between his or her vehicle and the vehicle to the immediate front of his or her vehicle. This separation distance or headway affects forward crash warning timing, acceleration and brake assist mode, cruise control, etc.
In addition to the above described roadway features, the driver's driving characteristics can also vary significantly depending upon the roadway surface i.e., paved, concrete, asphalt, dirt, gravel, deteriorating with potholes, etc. In addition, weather conditions, such as snow and ice, rain, dry, etc., also influence a driver's driving characteristics.
It would be desirable to provide driver specific vehicle controls, which can be adapted to a particular driver's driving characteristics, in comparison to safe driver driving characteristics, for all roadway features and roadway conditions.